Prospecting-drill.



No. 640,928. Patented Jan. 9; I900. 11. McCABE.

PBOSPECTING DRILL.

(Application filed. Mar, 29, 1898. Renewed June 14, 1899.)

(No Model.)

uoams PETERS on. wcmm'no WlSmNoTON, u: c.

, 1E STATES DAVID MCOABE, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

PROSPECTlNG-DRILL.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 640,928, dated January9, 1900'. Application filed March 29, 1898. Renewed June 14, 1899.Serial No. 720,553. (No model.)

T0 at whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, DAVID MCOABE, of Boston, county of Suffolk, State ofMassachusetts,

haveinvented an Improvement in Prospecting-Drills, of which thefollowing description, in connection with the accompanying drawings, isa specification, like letters on the drawings representing like parts.

My invention is an improvement in drills, being particularly intendedfor the use of prospectors, although it will be understood that it iscapable of general use for which earth-drills are intended.

In its general features my invention comprises an automatic lifter whichenables the operator to withdraw in compact undisturbed columnar form adesired sample of earth from any depth. Also my invention comprises aspecial form of self-feeding blade, this blade preferably beingremovable from the shank in order that worn-out or injured blades may bereplaced by new ones; and a further feature of my invention resides inthe means for securing the blade to the shank, whereby they are renderedrigid against lateral displacement.

Further features of my invention and the more detailed constructionthereof will be fully understood from the following description,reference being had to the accompanying drawings, illustrative of apreferred em,- bodiment thereof, and the invention will be moreparticularly defined in the appended claims, also forming a part of thisspecification.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a front eleva tion of a drill constructedaccording to my invention. Fig. 2 is a central vertical section of thelower digging end thereof. Fig. 3 is an enlarged detail in elevation,showing the blade removed from the drill proper. Fig. at is an enlargeddetail in elevation .of the lower end of the drill to which the blade issecuring successive sections thereto as the drill descends to greaterdepths, may be and is of usual construction as found in earthdrills, myinvention residing in the lower or digging end of the drill. The latteris shown as having a concaved spoon-like or semicylindrical portion asemicircular in cross-section and of convenient length for carrying thedesired sample of earth for inspection, while yet being capable of handmanipulation. At its lower end the portion a is slotted, as shown at aand receives a blade 1). (Shown. in enlarged detail in Fig. 3.)

The blade I) has a curved leg or shank I), provided with twowedge-shaped tongues or projections b herein shown as struck up from themetal itself to the extent shown more clearly in Fig. 2, these tongueshaving a width fitting snugly into the slot a in order to render theblade rigid against any twisting or lateral shifting movement relativelyto the shank of the drill. A bolt 6 and nut 11 serve to secure the bladein position. The blade is provided immediately below the end of theportion a with an aperture 19 in which I hang a lifter 0, shown ashaving a shovellike form 0, (see Figs. 1, 2, 5, and 6,) projectingforward, a neck 0 and a retaining-head 0 this lifter being looselymounted in the aperture 6 so that as the drill is being bored forwardinto the earth the lifter will assume the position shown in Fig. 2 infull lines, and the moment the drill starts to move upward the lifterwill drop into the position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 2, therebysupporting the column of earth held in the concaved portion a of theshank, so as to insure that the sample of earth will be raised safelywithout having its particles materially disturbed. It will be understoodthat if the portion a is of extreme length or if for any other reason itis desired I may provide a plurality of these lifters, one above theother, along the portion a.

Referring to Figs. 1, 3, and 7, it will be seen that the blade Z) is ofspecial and peculiar construction, having forwardly-curved flangedlips 1) near its lower end and having at its lower end a drill-point bcapable of forcing its way through stone. The lips b make the drillself-feeding, the blade being thence ta pered upwardly, as shown, to theshoulders I), which extend slightly beyond the vertical line of theportion a so as to prevent the latter from binding and insure that itshall be free to remove a column or sample of earth Without unduedisturbance of the earth.

The rear or following edge 19 of the leg portion of the blade or knifeis slightly wider than the opposite side, so as to make a scraper edgeor flange projecting beyond the edge of the portion a for making thehole smooth as the drill is rotated and also for directing the point 19opening the way, and as the dirt is caught by the cutting edge 1/ it isdirected into the hollow or tubular shank portion a and retainedthereby. As the drill sinks into the earth the portion a is graduallyfilled with the sample desired for the inspection of the prospector, thelifter c meantime resting in the position shown in full lines in Fig. 2and not interfering with the downward progress of the drill. Theprospector having reached the depth desired, such depth it may be havingbeen attained by the use of other sections of shank or handle securedend to end above the end a, then raises the drill, the lifter c at onceautomatically dropping to the position shown in dotted lines and beingheld in said position by the column of earth above it, which it servesto raise intact to the surface of the ground.

If a blade should get damaged, it is quickly removed simply by looseningthe nut b and a new blade is putin place.

The blade is rigidly clamped against lateral displacement by means ofthe tongues 19 entering the slot a and held there by the bolt and nut.

While I have herein described my invention in all the details of itspreferred embodiment, I do not intend to limit myself to these details,inasmuch as many changes in form,

proportion, and arrangement of parts may be resorted to withoutdeparting from the spirit and scope of my invention.

Having fully described my invention, what claim, and desire to secure byLetters Patent, 1s-

1. An earth-drill having at its lower end a semicylindrical portion forretaining a sample of earth, a separable boring-blade, said bladecomprising a shank curved to fit within said semicylindrical portion,and a boring portion below said shank tapering to a drillpoint at itslower end, and having at its upper end a verticallyelongated slot, and a'lifter movably mounted in said slot havinga broad shovel-like liftingend, and a reduced neck having substantially parallel sides fittingwithin said elongated slot and serving to maintain said lifter in properupright position while permitting it to swing up and down in the slot,and a retaining-head at the outer end of said neck and behind said slot,and means for detachably securing said boringblade to saidsemicylindrical portion, substantially as described.

2. An earth-drill comprising a semicylindrical shank having an elongatedslot centrally located at its lower end, and a removable blade providedwith two wedge-shaped tongues narrowing toward their free ends and beingwidest next the blade and adapted to both seat snugly into the saidcentral slot for preventing lateral displacement of the blade relativelyto said shank, and means independent of said tongues to clamp the bladeand shank together, substantially as described.

3. An earth-drill having at its lower end a semicylindrical portion forretaining a sample of earth, a single separable boring-blade, saidboring-blade comprising a shank curved to fit within saidsemicylindrical portion, the blade below said shank havinga widthgreater than said shank and tapering thence to a drillpoint, the latterbeing substantially in the axial line of the earth-d rill, and means tosecure said separable blade in central longitudinal alinement with saidsemicylindrical portion, said shank when so secured projecting slightlyat its rear edge beyond the edge of the semicylindrical portion,substantially as described.

4. The herein-described ,drill for boring into and raising a sample fromstony earth, said drill comprising a concave or hollow portion at itslower end for retaining a sample of earth to be raised with the drill,and a boring-blade at the lower extremity of said concave portion, saidboring-blade having its extreme lower point formed with two straightedges only slightly beveled, and diverging from each other atapproximately ninety degrees, to constitute a drill-point for drillingthrough stone when met with in the earthboring, said drill-point having,in addition to said stone-drilling edges, forwardly-projecting lips,said lips being at the edges of the blade and extending upwardly inopposite directions from adjacent the upper ends of the edges of saiddrill-point, for feeding the drill into the earth, substantially asdescribed.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

DAVID MOOABE. Witnesses:

GEO.'H. MAXWELL, ALEX. O. PROUDFIT:

